BACK IN THE '70s, Brian Eno and Robert Fripp produced some amazing recordings using an electronic tape-loop system consisting of two interconnected Revox reel-to-reel tape recorders. The idea wasn't new, but Eno and Fripp pushed looping into musicians' awareness in a big way. Fripp even toured with the system — which he dubbed “Frippertronics” — giving solo performances throughout Europe and the United States.
Since then, loops and looping have been deeply absorbed into the process of music production — without them there would likely be no hip-hop or electronica, for example — and in recent years a number of digital processors have appeared that allow live performers to create loops on the fly. Current loopers range from fairly limited floor-based units of various shapes and sizes to more full-featured rack processors (most of which require additional pedals and switches to control their functions).
The Boss RC-20 Loop Station — which is about twice the size of a regular Boss pedal — offers some of the rack units' more sophisticated features in a pint-size package at a relatively low price. Most important, it sounds quite good.
Unlike some loopers, the Loop Station is a dedicated phrase recorder and cannot be used as a digital delay. Although you create and layer phrases in much the same way that you would using a digital delay with an infinite hold function, there is no regeneration, so you can't have a loop, say, slowly fade out. When you press the stop pedal, the phrase stops abruptly. That said, the Loop Station is capable of some things that a digital delay simply cannot do, such as creating phrases in a variety of time signatures and functioning as a phrase trainer.
Another cool thing about the Loop Station is that it has both instrument and microphone inputs (see Fig. 1), and they may be used simultaneously. The only caveat is that the inputs are ¼-inch phone jacks, so if you want to connect a mic with a standard XLR connector, you'll have to use an adapter.
PLENTY OF TIME
One of the primary limitations of some less expensive loopers is limited recording memory. The Loop Station delivers a whopping 5½ minutes of recording memory, allowing the creation of as many as 11 phrases. The Loop Station's memory is divided into two sections: phrase tracks and a temporary memory track. When you record a new phrase, the audio information is stored in the temporary memory, and you can play along with it, overdub sound-on-sound layers onto it, and undo the most recent overdub if you play any clam notes. You can even make it play in reverse by pressing the Reverse button or using an optional external footswitch such as the Boss FS5U.
The minimum length for a phrase is about 1½ seconds, and if you try to record one shorter than that, the Loop Station will stretch it to fit. There is also a Loop Quantize function that can be used to adjust the looping points in real time to fit the metronome — a useful feature for those who are time challenged.
If you want to save a phrase, you must copy it into one of the phrase track locations, or it will be lost when you record a new temporary track, select a different phrase track, or power down the unit. To save a phrase, simply select an empty phrase track and press the Write button twice. Phrase tracks 1 to 10 record phrase loops that repeat until they are turned off, whereas track 11 records a phrase that plays once and then stops automatically. You cannot overdub after recording a phrase onto track 11.
Once you have saved two or more phrases to phrase track locations, you can either play them back by selecting them with the Phrase Select knob or switch from one to the other sequentially using an optional footswitch.
MORE THAN FOUR
There are two ways to create a phrase in real time. You can simply push the left (Record) pedal when you are ready to begin recording a phrase, push it again to lock the phrase in, and then exit record mode. One more push puts the pedal into overdub mode, and another push returns it to play mode.
The second method involves using a metronome, or Guide tone, to determine the tempo and the time signature of the phrase. You tap in the tempo with the Tap Tempo button or the right footswitch, and the Guide tone (four variations are available) produces two distinct sounds: one on the first beat of a measure and another for the other beats. At the same time, an LED flashes red on the “1” and green on the other beats. The metronome defaults to 4/4, so unless you want to use a different time signature, no additional programming is necessary. However, the Loop Station can also record phrases in any time signature in which a quarter note gets one beat, such as 2/4, 3/4, 5/4, 7/4, or 13/4 (Visit 
for an audio example). To set the time signature, push the Tap Tempo button for at least two seconds and wait until the LED goes out. Then tap in the number of beats you want — three for 3/4, seven for 7/4, and so on — and wait for the LED to flash red several times, indicating that the new time signature has been set. Pushing the Tap Tempo button at that point engages the Guide tone, and you can begin recording. If you make a mistake while recording a phrase and want to begin again, you'll have to erase the phrase (returning the metronome to the 4/4 setting) and program the time signature all over again.
RIFF REPRODUCER
The Loop Station's phrase-recording capabilities can also be used to sample audio from CDs, MP3s, or other sources through a ⅛-inch stereo aux input jack. You can think of it as a minisampler and use it to manipulate and reproduce stereo samples creatively. It can help you practice by slowing down that lightning-fast guitar riff enough to hear the individual notes. (Or you can record that backward Jimi Hendrix solo, hit the Reverse button, and hear it played forward!)
There are four recording options in this mode: Normal, Center Channel, Normal + Flat Amp Simulate, and Center Cancel + Flat Amp Simulate. The Flat Amp Simulator compensates for the attenuated highs and lows typical of a guitar amp's frequency response while recording, resulting in a flatter sound when the phrase is played back through one. Center Cancel uses phase cancellation to remove sounds in the center of a stereo mix — usually lead vocals and solo instruments, but also kick drum — to essentially create “minus-one” backing tracks for you to sing or play over. I should point out, however, that even though the Loop Station has a stereo input and processes incoming audio in stereo, output is mono only.
As might be expected, the Center Cancel function worked better with some songs than with others, depending on the placement of the sounds in the stereo field. For example, in several cases, the fundamental sound of the vocals was significantly attenuated, leaving only the reverb returns. In other cases, one of several overdubbed guitar parts was brought out clearly while the others became nearly inaudible.
UNDERFOOT
In a perfect world, the Loop Station would let you record multiple interacting phrases (without stopping your performance to save each phrase), and you'd be able to have a phrase fade slowly rather than ending abruptly. In practice, those limitations may be irrelevant to your needs. But it is a pedal after all, and you can use a volume pedal as a work-around if you really want your phrases to fade out.
The Loop Station delivers lots of great features and oodles of recording memory for a reasonable price. Add to that its portability and big sound, and it appears that Boss has another winner on its hands. If looping is your thing, or if you'd like it to be, check out this pedal.
